Automatic lock slider



Aprll 21, 1953 o. FIRING 2,635,314

AUTOMATIC LOCK SLIDER Filed Feb. 16, 1951 INVENT OR Osborne Firing ATTORN EY Patented Apr. 21, 1953 AUTOMATIC LOCK SLIDER Osborne Firing, Woodbury, Conn., assignor to Scovill Manufacturing Company, Waterbury, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application February 16, 1951, Serial No. 211,395

6 Claims. 1

This invention relates to slide fasteners or zippers and particularly to automatic lock sliders for such fasteners. I

This invention is an improvement on the slider shown in my copending application Ser. No. 139,332, filed January 19, 1950, the improvement having to do especially with the spring locking member. 1

One object of this invention is to provide an improved locking device for preventing accidental movement of the slider along the fastener stringers which will be reliable in service and which will be relatively cheaper to manufacture.

Another object is to provide a lock slider of the same general type disclosed in my prior application wherein the spring locking member is protected by a strong stationary cap member, in which the locking member has the requisite strength without objectionable overall height of the cap.

Another object is to provide improved or easier action of the spring locking member.

In the accompanying drawing I have shown for purposes of illustration two embodiments which my invention may assume in practice.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a part of a slide fastener showing the improved locking slider thereon partly in section.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of one form of the slider as it appears in locked position on the fastener elements.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but showing theslider. in unlocked position.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the spring locking element, per se.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view of a slider similar to Fig. 2 showing a modified form of spring looking element. K

Fig. 6 is a horizontal sectional view taken along line 6-5 of Fig. 5, and I Fig. '7 is a perspective view of the modified form of spring locking element.

Referring now to the drawing in which like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views, the numeral I0 designates generally a slider adapted to operate along slide fastener hollow neck I5. The side edges of the plates I3 2 and I4 are formed with the usual inwardly directed flanges I5 which with the neck [5 form a Y-shaped channel for guiding the fastener elements in opening or closing the fastener.

The automatic locking device includes a movable spring locking member l8 encased in a stationary cap housing I9 bearing against the upper surface of the front wing I3. The cap housing l9 comprises an elongated cupped shell, one of the end walls 20 having a hooked lug portion 2I adapted to engage in a recess 22 provided in the under side of the front wing. The upper end wall 25 is extended to form a long tongue 24 fitting into the end recess 25 provided in the connecting neck I 5. The cap housing I9 is permanently anchored in place by wedging the tongue 24 tightly between the side walls of the recess 25 as more fully explained in the above referred to application.

The spring locking member I8, as shown in Figs. 2 to 5, consists of an elongated imperforate body portion 26, one end of which is bent through a connecting are 2! to provide a fulcrum or bearing point at 28. Depending from this bend is an elongated narrow tongue 29 which extends down into the neck groove 25 of the slider neck I5. As noted in Figs. 1 and 6 the end groove 25 has parallel side walls 30 for most of its depth, which walls connect into converging walls 3I that in turn connect into a flat base wall 32 located transversely to the axis of the slider. As noted in Figs. 2 and 3 the lower end of the tongue 29 is dimensioned to fit and slide against the flat base wall 32 of the neck groove 25. The narrow tongue 29 constitutes in effect the spring which is free to bend in the recess 25. To provide for easy action the spring tongue preferably extends over substantially the full depth of the slider.

By providing the spring portion as an extension beyond the fulcrum point 28 I am thus able to obtain maximum strength in the rigid body portion 26. This portion occupies substantially the full width of the hollow space in the cap I9 all the way back to the fulcrum point 28 so that it is able to withstand the buckling stresses caused by a tea-ring force on the fastenerwhen locked, all Without the necessity of dependent side walls on the body member which would objectionably increase the overall height of the cap l5.

.At the locking end of the member I8 there is a rounded or inclined portion 33 which joins the flat end portion 34 by a bend which is reenforced by an integral rib 35. A locking prong 36 pro- 31 in the slider ID to engage between the fastener elements. The locking spring 36 is preferably turned over from the side of the body member and is wider near the portion which connects to the body member so as to provide maximum strength. A pull tab 40 used to operate the slider in opening or closing the fastener has a pair of bifurcated arms 41 which straddle the cap I9 and are integrally connected by a through and through pintle 42 which extends through cutouts or openings 43 in the side walls of the cap l9 and under the locking member 18. The locking prong 36 is relieved on one side at 44 so that it can more readily enter between the fastener members or as in the case of the second embodiment it acts as a cam to allow the locking member to ratchet over the fastener elements when the fastener is being closed. The cam portion 33 is relatively long so as to provide a gentle slope against which the pull tab pintle 42 ensa s thu l win ea e d s a m n o the locking prong from the fastener elements when the spring is under stress, The body portion of the sp ing is? 31 'f-fl wfird Of t s eemm e portion 33 is bent quite abruptly downwardly to pr i e e eene mmins r o 45 whi c ntinues to the curved bearing portion 46 normally r in a a nst the upper sl de W I3 n thence upwardly to the curved end portion 27.

The slider is shown in locked position in Fig. 2 with the locking prong 36 engaged between a pair of fastener elements or scoops l2. Now when the pull tab .40 is moved in a direction to open h faste e t e n e l e a e against the inclined or cam section 33 and lift the locking prong upwardly so as to free the slider. This condition is indicated in Fig. 3. During th s lif i act on t e l c member swings about the fulcrum point 23 and the spring tongue 29 will flex to some such position as indicated in Fig. 3. Now when the pull tab is reeased the locki member w ri to locked position so as to lock the slider in place wherever desired along the fastener stringers.

Now when the slider is being moved into the other direction the pintle l; will engage the inclined portion 45 and hold the locking prong ay f m the fast ner emen sv this s there is naturally no greater force required to lift the locking member as in the case where it ma be nd n a inst a fastener mb r- In this form of the invention the middle portion of the locking member rests normally against the slider and accordingly it is not necessary to provide y add t on ans fo h in the locking member in place.

he mb im nt shown in Figs- 5, 6 end i generally the same in construction and operation as the fi t embodiment and s m ar ref re numerals indicate like parts. It is intended for use where the ratcheting for the locking pin is not objectionable and accordingly the middle bent portion is omitted and the member continues straight from the front cam section 33 all the way to the curved fulcruming end 21. By way 9f further m cat on t e t ona o k n Prone 51 a extend fr m the bod em er a some h t st red re ion s as t e gage be e n a a of .fes e ier e me 01. h 9pposite stringer.

n t mbo im nt i i r a ly d sira le to 1 9 7 1. s rin 1 .621. 99.? n' 9 b some mean the indentati n .5 in the s de wa l 9 1 an ".As e result .of m .mveni en it wi l be e ide 4 to those skilled in the art that I obtain the well recognized advantages of a protected or enclosed locking member while at the same time keeping the overall thickness of the slider to a minimum. At the same time I provide a Spring locking slider which will have relatively easy action in unlocking. It is also economical to manufacture since it can be formed from a small sheet metal blank; the locking member is preferably made from stainless steel which will not rust and which will have the maximum strength for the minimum space.

I claim:

1. A slider for slide fasteners comprising front and back plates connected at one end by a neck, an exterior groove extending lengthwise of said neck, a hollow cap member attached to the slider and extending lengthwise of the front plate and overlapping said groove, a locking member confined within said housing having a locking prong at one end adapted to extend through an opening in the front plate to lock the slider against movement along the fastener, said locking member having rigid body portion extending from the prong end to engage the end wall and also the upper wall of the cap adjacent that end of the cap opposite from the locking prong to provide a fulcrum, a spring tongue depending from the fulcrum into said groove and being free to flex within said groove, the end of said spring tongue engaging a wall of the groove and normally set to hold said locking prong in engagement with the fastener members, a pull tab pivoted to said cap, and a cam portion on said locking member engageable by said pull tab to lift the locking prong out of the slider channel against the tension of said spring tongue.

2. A slider as defined in claim 1 wherein the body portion of the locking member is substantially as wide as the hollow space in the cap and wherein the tongue is relatively much narrower throughout its length whereby the body is rigid and the tongue is springy.

3. A slider as defined in claim 1 wherein the locking member is a thin metal strip of uniform rectangular cross section between the locking prong and the fulcrum point.

4:. A slider as defined in claim 1 wherein said neck groove extends across the entire depth of the slider and wherein said spring tongue also extends for substantially the entire length of said groove.

5. A slider as defined in claim 1 wherein said cam portion of the locking member is joined to the portion carrying the prong with a. bend and wherein an integral reenforcing web extends across said bend.

6. A slider as defined in claim 1 wherein the attachment of the upper end of the cap member is accomplished by a tongue wedged tightly between opposite walls of said groove and wherein there is a substantial space between said tongue and back wall of the recess to permit freedom of movement of said spring tongue on the looking member. 7

OSBORNE FLRlNGr.

Re e ence C ed the f e f this P tent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

